For sale sign on more Gunns' mills

Gunns has confirmed plans to sell all of its Tasmanian native forest mills.

Gunns has warned that its non-plantation operations including veneer, sawlog and woodchip mills across the state may be closed or restructured as it moves to become a plantation-based business.

Ahead of the company's annual general meeting this week, Gunns Chief Executive Greg L'Estrange has now confirmed he wants to sell all of these operations in the next 6 to 12 months but says it is not clear who will buy them.

"We're not in any discussions with any individual at this stage because this is part of the forestry principles agreement," he said.

More than 1,500 workers could be affected by the closures.

Resources Minister Bryan Green says the Government has announced a panel to help implement the forest peace agreement which will include finding other jobs for timber workers.

Shadow Treasurer Peter Gutwein says if the mills are closed, the effects will spread to other industries.

"That's going to affect hundreds if not thousands across the state," he said.

"What we need to know from all of the players is what the time lines are because people out there in rural and regional Tasmania want to know what's happening, when it's going to affect them and importantly what Government's going to do."

The Wilderness Society has welcomed the proposal to sell off its non-plantation mills.

The Society's Vica Bayley says although he does not support Gunns' pulp mill, the company is following through on the principles in the forest agreement.

"We need to see a wholesale Tasmanian forest industry restructure here whereby native forest logging entitlements are handed back to the Government and those forests are then protected," he said.

"So this is a critical step in being able to protect the high conservation value forest that Tasmanians have so long demanded protection for."

Gunns says its proposed pulp mill is a secondary issue to the current problems in the timber industry.

Mr L'Estrange says he can not put a date on the start of the pulp mill's construction.

"It will take its own time but it's making good progress but I think the larger issue for Tasmania is to actually come up with a path forward through these principles that actually provides the right outcome for the whole of the industry in Tasmania, provides security for employment for a restructured industry for a longer term," he said.